Drew S.
1) 10:04 by Ben Lerner
I think this next statement is true, and it is deeply troubling: as a culture and as artists, we are trying to figure out how to live in a world that has been devastated ecologically and economically, but isn't all over yet. Where does parenthood (creation), relationships (belonging), and — Lerner's biggest question — art belong in the meantime? Lerner's pacing and autobiographical tone completely complement his subject matter, giving the reader a sense of hope that we just may be able to emotionally and intellectually live under the terms of a sinister future. This novel is the type of art we need.
2) Citizen by Claudia Rankine
3) Pirates and Farmers by Dave Hickey
4) Can't and Won't by Lydia Davis
5) What We See When We Read by Peter Mendelsund
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Dianah
1) The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld
Rene Denfeld's The Enchanted is a book like no other, and it is absolutely chilling. With Denfeld's spare, quiet prose, it is one of the most gorgeous and stunning things I have ever read. Living in this book for a week, I felt broken open, shattered, and crushed by both the unspeakable horror and the unbelievable beauty; they walk hand-in-hand here. The Enchanted is ripe with themes concerning crime, punishment, survival, and love; Denfeld will break your heart, but she will also knit it back together for you.
2) The Plover by Brian Doyle
3) Lila by Marilynne Robinson
4) Excavation by Wendy C. Ortiz
5) An Untamed State by Roxane Gay
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Nan
1) An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
This is a mesmerizing story of a 72-year-old Lebanese woman, isolated, alone, and surrounded by books — books she devours and books she translates into Arabic for no other reason than the pure joy of doing it. She shares her translations with no one. This book is a fascinating record of her quiet but extremely rich life, the violence of Beirut, and her outspoken opinions on all matters religious and political. Superb!
2) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
3) The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
4) The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
5) Lila by Marilynne Robinson
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Doug C.
1) I Loved You More by Tom Spanbauer
Just when Tom Spanbauer's novel fills you with despair, it picks you up with an absurd, dark humor. Reach for this book if you want a slow, meaty read where you can savor the quirky spoken feeling of the narrator's voice. Read it if you want to hear the lie that tells the truth. If you want to live in the thoughts and pain and discovery and selfishness and generosity of the storyteller.
2) The End of Eve by Ariel Gore
3) Pray for Rain (Fatale #4) by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
4) Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson
5) All That Is Solid Melts into Air by Darragh McKeon
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Sheila N.
1) The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
This is not my usual fare, and I bought Narrow Road based on a lovely review in the Financial Times. The book surprised me: I started reading it on a warm Saturday afternoon and finished it four hours later realizing that I had read something truly splendid, powerful, and wondrous. Some readers may find the chapters dealing with events that occurred in the POW camp off-putting, but I would urge perseverance: the reward is well worth it.
2) My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead
3) Dancing Fish and Ammonites by Penelope Lively
4) Gandhi Before India by Ramachandra Guha
5) Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials by Ovidia Yu
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Erin D.
1) Information Doesn't Want to Be Free by Cory Doctorow
Doctorow's expertise and honesty about the state of copyright and digital control in the entertainment industry (books included) makes for a fascinating and sometimes frightening read. Information Doesn't Want to Be Free made me rethink everything I know about publishing and the creative process. If you love books or music, you need to read this.
2) Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2) by Brandon Sanderson
3) Cress by Marissa Meyer
4) The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman
5) Camp Rex by Molly Idle
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Shawn D.
1) The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs
On one level, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace is about unfulfilled potential and heartbreaking loss, but more importantly it deals with the pressure we all feel to succeed and be happy in an increasingly competitive society. It is a beautiful eulogy to a friend and an accurate portrayal of what it means to be young, talented, and conflicted.
2) Loitering by Charles D'Ambrosio
3) 10:04 by Ben Lerner
4) The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison
5) Astoria by Peter Stark
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Jeremy G.
1) Talking to Ourselves by Andrés Neuman
Andrés Neuman possesses a formidable talent. Talking to Ourselves, despite its solemnity, is an exceptional work of considerable emotional breadth. While the story itself may well be dolorous, it radiates with an authenticity that can often be elusive in fiction. There's a vibrancy and liveliness to Neuman's writing (as well-evidenced, too, in 2012's remarkable Traveler of the Century) that is irresistible. Even if one were not captivated by his arresting tale, persuasive characters, or sonorous prose, the impassioned effects of his storytelling are inescapable.
2) A Man: Klaus Klump by Gonçalo M. Tavares
3) I Called Him Necktie by Milena Michiko Flašar
4) Faces in the Crowd by Valeria Luiselli
5) A Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warren
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Shannon B.
1) Broken Homes (Rivers of London #4) by Ben Aaronovitch
The publication date for the fourth book in the Peter Grant series was pushed back for American readers, but it was worth the wait. Intense and funny, Broken Homes explores fantasy in a wonderful, unique way. I also love that Peter Grant has an African mother and a white, British father, and that this is just part of his story. It's rare to find a multicultural protagonist in a book that isn't about ethnicity. I adore Ben Aaronovitch and the Peter Grant books. Broken Homes is no exception.
2) This Last Time Will Be the First by Jeff Alessandrelli
3) If This Be Sin by Hazel Newlevant
4) Best of Connie Willis by Connie Willis
5) Clariel (Abhorsen) by Garth Nix
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Lizzy
1) Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Station Eleven has that magical quality of the best books: it transports you completely to another reality while secretly expanding your understanding of this one. I read a lot of books this year that I loved, but this was the only one that gave me a near-faultless reading experience: beautifully written and completely impossible to put down.
2) An Untamed State by Roxane Gay
3) The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
4) Dear Leader by Jang Jin-Sung
5) The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
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Amantha
1) Frog Music by Emma Donoghue
I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this book. I loved Room, but I was less familiar with Donoghue's historical fiction. I'm so glad I took a chance on it. San Francisco, brothels, cross-dressing women, romantic and platonic love, intrigue, murder: this collection has everything a person could possibly want. I literally could not put it down.
2) As You Wish by Cary Elwes
3) The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
4) Lovers at the Chameleon Club by Francine Prose
5) The Quick by Lauren Owen
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Aubrey
1) One-Hour Cheese by Claudia Lucero
This fantastic new cheese-making cookbook from Portland's own indie crafter is so easy to use it's almost hard to believe. Almost. I've successfully made yummy cheese from the step-by-step photo recipes in it numerous times, thanks to Claudia's simple, encouraging instructions. This book boasts 16 varieties of cheese recipes to try, all in one hour or under. There's an assortment of cheese accompanying recipes in the back as well. Whether you're a novice or a whiz in the kitchen, if you love cheese, this book belongs on your cookbook shelf!
2) Euphoria by Lily King
3) I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
4) Acceptance (Southern Reach Trilogy #3) by Jeff VanderMeer
5) The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
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Mark A.
1) Wild Within by Melissa Hart
Wild Within is a heartwarming true story about how volunteering and rehabilitating birds of prey at a raptor rehabilitation center near Eugene, Oregon, brought a quirky and lovable couple together. The author discovers through her love of birds that she wants to have a child. Inspired by her husband's work with the birds of prey and for their love of each other, they embark on a long journey to adopt a child and overcome their fears of parenting. The author realizes many things about herself and her parenting skills through her interactions with the birds. A genuinely uplifting and relatable story from the Pacific Northwest.
2) Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris
3) Brazil by Neill Lochery
4) A Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warren
5) International Night by Mark Kurlansky and Talia Kurlansky
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Tim B.
1) 10:04 by Ben Lerner
Ben Lerner delivers on the promise of his fiction debut, Leaving the Atocha Station, with this stunning exploration of the lines between fiction and nonfiction, audience and creator, and the mortality of the body and the immortality of art. Lerner's narrator grapples with unexpected success, a heart condition that could be benign or fatal, and the potential of (unconventional) fatherhood while meditating on community and "a still-uninhabited second person plural to whom all the arts...were nevertheless addressed." I haven't read a book that better captures how it feels to be alive in the 21st century.
2) In the Light of What We Know by Zia Haider Rahman
3) How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran
4) Every Day Is for the Thief by Teju Cole
5) The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
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Nathan W.
1) Lila by Marilynne Robinson
Yet another quiet masterpiece from Marilynne Robinson, Lila stood head and shoulders above the rest of my reading this year. I can still hear Lila's voice in my head months later, and I can't remember the last time I finished a book and had such a lingering sense of a character's presence, as if I'd actually spent time with a living, breathing person. I haven't been so exquisitely lost in a book in years, and continue to be grateful for Robinson's evident fascination with this tiny town in midcentury Iowa and the souls who reside there.
2) Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer
3) Silence Once Begun by Jesse Ball
4) The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
5) Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
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Bry
1) The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
At first, The Paying Guests seems like a lovely, detailed historical novel about the lives of two women who are forced to take on lodgers after WWII. The main character, Frances, is a bit of a mystery, and the suspense and tension grows as the lodgers and Frances develop a psychologically intense relationship that eventually turns sexual. Waters builds the suspense and tension to the point where I had myself doubting the motives of every character. It is not often that I'm surprised by the end of a novel, but The Paying Guests did not disappoint.
2) This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
3) The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld
4) I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
5) The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison
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Jordan G.
1) The Martian by Andy Weir
Astronaut Mark Watney is on an expedition to Mars, but it doesn't go so well: a malfunction leads to an emergency evacuation, during which he is presumed dead. But Watney isn't dead; he's very much alive and determined to stay that way... though he's condemned to a life of deep-space Macgyver-like struggles and insufferable levels of disco music from his station's library. In the process, Watney shows readers the power and meaning of a single human life, even when that human life is stuck on a rock in space and swears worse than my mother.
2) The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld
3) A Call to Action by Jimmy Carter
4) Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin
5) Metal Cats by Alexandra Crockett
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Rachel G.
1) Yes Please by Amy Poehler
As soon as I found out THE Amy Poehler was coming out with her own book, I had unbelievably high expectations. It's got to be hilarious, insightful, silly, empowering, witty, interesting. And Amy has to seem real to me, like my BFF, by the end of the book. Basically, it has to be the Amy Poehler version of Bossypants. Can you believe it? Yes Please met all my expectations and more! By far my most enjoyable read of 2014.
2) We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
3) We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
4) The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad) by Tana French
5) Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood
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Adrienne C.
1) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
In Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See, set in France in 1944, a 16-year-old blind French girl and a 17-year-old German soldier are on different yet converging paths. This is an amazing, masterfully executed tale. Each perfect word, each perfect sentence is magnificent. Gorgeously written scenes, whether tender or brutal, are told with precision. Characters resonate so true to their being. Read it for the sheer beauty of the words. Read it for the sheer beauty of the story. I was immersed in this time and place through this magic.
2) The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey
3) Annihilation (Southern Reach Trilogy #1) by Jeff VanderMeer
4) Tigerman by Nick Harkaway
5) Ruby by Cynthia Bond
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Jen C.
1) All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews is a frank, semi-autobiographical story examining sisterhood, complicated relationships, existential depression, and the lengths we will go in order to save someone we love. Toews manages to portray family tragedy in a realistic yet strangely uplifting way. Her ability to focus on the small details with clarity and humor is a reminder that even in the face of unspeakable grief, life does indeed go on.
2) The Great Glass Sea by Josh Weil
3) The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
4) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
5) The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
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Tracey T.
1) The Forest Feast by Erin Gleeson
A cookbook as THE best book of the year? Yes indeed — when that book is as superb as The Forest Feast. This is a book that I want to live in: enticing, welcoming, and lush. Every page is a beauty, each filled with the author's own illustrations and photography — photos shot at her house nestled in the California woods. And the recipes are delightful. They somehow feel exotic, yet they're deceptively simple and made from nothing fancy — just good-old American veggies.
2) The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey
3) The Bees by Laline Paull
4) Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
5) Beautiful Wreck by Larissa Brown
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Keith M.
1) Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle
John Darnielle writes exquisite songs for his band, the Mountain Goats, about outsiders and misfits on the edge. His first novel is narrated by Sean, a character who went over that edge and survived. The book maps the relief offered by an escape into fantasy while demonstrating the danger of it overtaking you. Beautifully crafted, Wolf in White Van is a work of deep empathy for the desperate.
2) Lazarus, Book 1 by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark
3) The Invisible Bridge by Rick Perlstein
4) In the Wake by Lisa Kron
5) The Teacher Wars by Dana Goldstein
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Adam P.
1) Loitering by Charles D'Ambrosio
I've been an evangelist for Charles D'Ambrosio since I first read an essay he wrote in 2002. When a collection of his essays, Orphans, was issued in 2004, I made sure the bookstore I worked at in Minneapolis had plenty of copies on hand. D'Ambrosio's descriptions of life in the Northwest convinced me that I needed a new start, and in 2005, I moved to Portland and started working at Powell's. Orphans quickly fell out of print, and recommending these essays became harder. But with the publication of Loitering, I can again recommend these essays to everyone I meet!
2) 10:04 by Ben Lerner
3) Citizen by Claudia Rankine
4) The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
5) The Emerald Light in the Air by Donald Antrim
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Mark S.
1) Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! by Bob Stanley
Audacious in its simplicity, Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! walks over permitted boundaries of cool by spending more time on the Monkees, Abba, and the Bee Gees than Zeppelin and Dylan, in a narrative full of joy and humor. The mythologies you think you know are recast. Sit next to the Internet as you read, as you'll need to google a song every other sentence.
2) Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
3) Perfidia by James Ellroy
4) Sugar Skull by Charles Burns
5) Motherland Fatherland Homelandsexuals by Patricia Lockwood
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Brian L.
1) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
This incredibly powerful, moving, and elegiac coming-of-age novel takes place in France in 1944 as the lives of two children, Marie Laure — a lovable, endearing, blind French girl — and Werner — a moving, enigmatic, and brilliant German boy — come crashing together. Written in stark, beautiful chapters that alternate between character perspectives with sentences that will frequently cause you to catch your breath, this novel will simultaneously break and mend your heart repeatedly. This is not only my book of the year; it has broken its way into my top five of all time.
2) The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
3) Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris
4) The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
5) Saga Deluxe Edition, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
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Emily F.
1) Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson
Easily my favorite recent debut, Fourth of July Creek tells the story of a social worker who becomes personally invested in the case of a survivalist and his young son in rural Montana. I fell in love with all of Henderson's characters — even the ones it might have been easy to hate had someone else written them. Though set in the 1980s, Fourth of July Creek is at least as relevant today, and Henderson deals with anti-government thinking and its implications without preaching or oversimplifying. This is a beautiful, heartbreaking book I'll read again and again.
2) The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey
3) The Troop by Nick Cutter
4) Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate DiCamillo
5) Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
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Tove
1) The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld
I can't recall a book I've consumed so ravenously or recommended so fiercely as The Enchanted. Given the subject matter — death row, its inhabitants, its agents, its reach, and the woman trying to stay its hand — I expected something grim, unsettling, hard to stomach. What I got was all those things and something I wasn't expecting: lovely. Denfeld has a remarkable grasp on language, and she uses it here to stunning effect. When I wasn't reading this book, I was craving it, and when I reached the end, I cried. Because it was beautiful, but also because it was over.
2) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
3) A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
4) Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
5) Neverhome by Laird Hunt
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Shauna
1) Yes Please by Amy Poehler
I love hearing comedians talk about comedy, and Yes Please delivers. Amy Poehler's long-awaited autobiography covers everything from her doofy childhood with big '80s bangs to her days cofounding improv mainstay Upright Citizens Brigade, up through her tenure at Saturday Night Live and most recent success with Parks and Recreation. She is, of course, hilarious and snappy, but her sweet words about her boys and hilarious guest chapters from her parents make this a great biography all around.
2) Lowriders in Space by Cathy Camper and Raul the Third
3) English Eccentric by Ros Byam Shaw
4) Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
5) The Sewtionary by Tasia St. Germaine
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Boone H.
1) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
I can't possibly say enough positive things about this book. It is beautifully written with real emotion behind every word. Every chapter pulls you in and is extremely difficult to stop reading. Mr. Doerr writes about two separate children living through the same war and how it affects the rest of their lives.
2) The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld
3) So Much a Part of You by Polly Dugan
4) Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch
5) Saint Friend by Carl Adamshick
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Jeff J.
1) We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas
First-time author Matthew Thomas has a lot to live up to. His novel follows Eileen Tumulty from her birth in 1941 through her life as a child, young woman, wife, nurse, caretaker, and mother. She is as strong a protagonist as it gets. Thomas's characters are real: easy to get attached to, but not always easy to love. This novel is truly American and encompasses every virtue and vice behind that title with beautiful prose by an author who has only just begun.
2) Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever? by Dave Eggers
3) The Son by Philipp Meyer
4) Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson
5) The Children Act by Ian McEwan
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C. Faatz
1) The Sun Is God by Adrian McKinty
If you've never read McKinty's stellar mystery fiction, this standalone novel is a great place to start. Set in German New Guinea in 1906, it tells the story of a bizarre religious cult, the Cocovores, who practice nudity and live on coconuts and opiates alone. Will Prior, an expat British military officer, is recruited to investigate when a mysterious death brings unwanted attention.
2) The Collected Poems of James Laughlin, 1935-1997 edited by Peter Glassgold
3) Listening to the Heart by Kittisaro and Thanissara
4) Francis of Rome and Francis of Assisi by Leonardo Boff
5) Joan Chittister edited Mary Lou Kownacki and Mary Hembrow Snyder
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Kevin S.
1) All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
This novel about a suicidal musician and the frazzled sister trying to keep her alive is the perfect combination of funny and sad. If you haven't discovered the wonderful work of Miriam Toews, you can start here and then read everything else. All My Puny Sorrows is another example of her brilliance.
2) Women by Chloe Caldwell
3) Because by Joseph Riippi
4) Sorrow Arrow by Emily Kendal Frey
5) Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
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Jason W.
1) Evolution of the Genus Iris by Robert Michael Pyle
These poems embody what Thoreau called a "wild and dusky knowledge." They are beautiful and careful and loving and true, proof that a life lived with nature, on better terms with nature, is not only possible but something to strive for. Pulsing with life and always revealing, this fine volume from a warm and beloved local voice will startle you with its variety and richness. These poems aren't just read; they read you back, and they grow like seeds in rich earth.
2) In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides
3) The Martian by Andy Weir
4) Astoria by Peter Stark
5) Savage Harvest by Carl Hoffman
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Jordan S.
1) The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc
Bird comes into Lion's life, they become friends, but come spring, Bird flies away. Lion carries on without Bird, but he still thinks about and misses Bird, without ever knowing if Bird will come back. This is a gentle and thoughtful story about friendship. It teaches patience and understanding in your relationships with people (whether you're a kid or an adult), and better prepares you for the road ahead. It's a picture book that's good for the soul.
2) Sebastian and the Balloon by Philip C. Stead
3) My New Friend Is So Fun! by Mo Willems
4) Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
5) El Deafo by Cece Bell and David Lasky
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Jen H.
1) Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A. S. King
Having lost her mother to suicide when she was young, Glory O'Brien is not sure what life has in store for her post–high school. After drinking the dust of a dead bat, she starts to see people's past and future just by looking at them. These visions give her new insight on matters of family, feminism, and taking action. Glory is a strong character that you can't help but root for. This is young adult at its best.
2) Landline by Rainbow Rowell
3) Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan
4) This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki
5) Gulp by Mary Roach
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Patrick D.
1) In Certain Circles by Elizabeth Harrower
I picked up In Certain Circles, written in the early 1970s but never before published, on a whim and was blown away. What begins as a comedy of manners set in upper-class Sydney reveals itself to be a penetrating character study; a gimlet-eyed look at the sacrifices we make for love, and the quiet hurts that simmer beneath polite surfaces. Reminiscent of such modern masters as Ian McEwan and Alice Munro, Elizabeth Harrower's sentences are flowers hiding bees — beautiful at first glance but with a sting upon closer examination, the kind you mark to come back and savor even as the plot pulls you onward.
2) The Broken Road by Patrick Leigh Fermor
3) The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
4) Loitering by Charles D'Ambrosio
5) Unruly Places by Alastair Bonnett
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Robin F.
1) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
I felt as if I held my breath all the way through Anthony Doerr's novel because the story is so gripping. It is an incredibly beautiful and heartbreaking story about the interwoven stories of a French girl and a German boy and how war connects their worlds together. Doerr is an absolute master of pacing, characterization, and plot, and his way with words is awe-inspiring. Once you've read it, you'll insist everyone you know has to read it. I haven't pushed a book on so many people since Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins.
2) An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
3) This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
4) The Long Way Home (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel #10) by Louise Penny
5) Pizza on the Grill by Bob Blumer and Elizabeth Karmel
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Dot
1) The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
Even if The Bone Clocks isn't number one on my personal canon of David Mitchell books, it still sent me reeling through space and time as I devoured each chapter. No other book this year kept me quite as totally rapt, and after finishing the last page, I wanted to dive into Mitchell's back catalog again and rediscover the characters therein.
2) Sex Criminals, Volume 1 by Matt Fraction + Chip Zdarsky
3) Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
4) The Circle by Dave Eggers
5) Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle
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Gary L.
1) 300,000,000 by Blake Butler
What started out as Butler's response to Roberto Bolaño's 2666 devolved into a Dennis Cooper–esque schizophrenic fever dream with a main character who could make Patrick Bateman blush. Reading this book will make you squirm, but in the best possible way.
2) Megahex by Simon Hanselmann
3) It Doesn't Suck: Showgirls by Adam Nayman
4) Tomboy by Liz Prince
5) Bird Box by Josh Malerman
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Jessica K.
1) The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison
The Empathy Exams is an absolute stunner. Jamison writes masterfully about myriad experiences of pain, how we deal with our own, and how we view others'. Compassion routes its way beautifully throughout the book, and her two "Pain Tours" essays are especially evocative as they track the ways consumerism and suffering so often intersect. Overall, it's a dazzling, enthralling, and complex look at humanity, and I tell everyone they should read it.
2) Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
3) Women by Chloe Caldwell
4) Green Girl by Kate Zambreno
5) Excavation by Wendy C. Ortiz
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Rachael W.
1) Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
This book pretty much has everything: the sweet confusion of first love; ruminations on the meaning of history, both cultural and personal; friendship; scientific and sexual explorations; and, oh yeah, giant bugs devouring humanity and bringing about the end of the world! Told through the funny and raunchy perspective of Austin Szerba, a 16-year-old at the epicenter of the apocalypse, Grasshopper Jungle is unlike anything you've read before, careening from the past to the present and back again in an action-packed ride that has as much tenderness and thoughtfulness as it does thrills.
2) The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
3) Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
4) Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A. S. King
5) Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
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Lori M.
1) Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Just Mercy is one of the most heartbreaking and inspiring books I have read in years. Stevenson recounts his early career as a young attorney working on multiple death row cases, first for the Southern Prisoners Defense Committee and later as founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. From a purely narrative point of view, the book is impossible to put down. In alternating chapters, Stevenson weaves multiple stories with one extended and tragic one — that of Walter McMillian, an African American man wrongly accused and convicted of killing a white woman, despite clear and compelling evidence to the contrary. The effect is shattering. If I were Book Czar, I would make this moving memoir required reading for the entire nation, most especially in light of the events in Ferguson.
2) Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson
3) The Children Act by Ian McEwan
4) Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
5) The Blackhouse by Peter May
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McKenzie
1) Breathe (Colorado Mountain) by Kristen Ashley
When I read my first Kristen Ashley novel, I pricked my finger and signed in blood a contract promising that I would always and forever buy her novels the day they were released. When Breathe came out, I bought the book and left work early to lose myself in what turned out to be an intense love story between two amazing characters, who survived their pasts to find in each other the beauty that they totally deserved. This is maybe my favorite of Ashley's novels, and I have already reread it. It's just so good.
2) Heroes Are My Weakness by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
3) Dirty Rowdy Thing (Wild Seasons #2) by Christina Lauren
4) Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After) by Tessa Dare
5) Screwdrivered (Cocktail) by Alice Clayton
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Cindy P.
1) Expecting Better by Emily Oster
Expecting Better is the most interesting and useful pregnancy book out there. Most guides give simpering, vague, or scolding instructions, but Oster, a microeconomist, scrutinizes data and research studies and gives women tools to decide for themselves. Her analysis is invaluable when you're making decisions about caffeine and alcohol consumption, epidurals, genetic testing, and other controversies of childbearing.
2) The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
3) Life after Life by Kate Atkinson
4) Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
5) All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
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Eloise
1) The Big Tiny by Dee Williams
Never before have I read a book that has so completely changed my thinking on how to live my life. Local author Dee Williams's memoir is a hilarious, sad, and absolutely lovely story of intentional living. As it turns out, sometimes exactly what you need is to build and live in an 84-square-foot house on wheels.
2) The Art of Neil Gaiman by Hayley Campbell
3) Landline by Rainbow Rowell
4) The Bees by Laline Paull
5) Clariel (Abhorsen) by Garth Nix
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D Lozano
1) An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
An Unnecessary Woman gives the reader an ally of fierce independence in aging protagonist Aaliya Saleh, who knows that while life can be sustained by the basics, it must have art to thrive; the book also provides a compendium for any literature lover's ongoing education, a partner for an unending love affair with the written word. For those whose very religion is a book in their hands, this is the stairway to heaven. Alameddine may as well have begun his gorgeous book with "Dear Literature" and ended it with "Love, Rabih."
2) Citizen by Claudia Rankine
3) The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison
4) All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
5) The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld
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Chris S.
1) Rolling Stones Gear by Andy Babiuk and Greg Prevost
A history of the Rolling Stones that documents every instrument, along with other pieces of equipment, that they used in every recording and live show throughout their entire history. Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of photographs, this book will captivate musicians and music lovers alike.
2) The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld
3) Austin Osman Spare by Phil Baker
4) Wonderland by Stacey D'Erasmo
5) A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anothony Marra
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Kara G.
1) The Rathbones by Janice Clark
Like so many other literary works, The Rathbones is about family secrets and their discovery. What Janice Clark does with this ubiquitous theme puts the magic in magical realism. Dreamlike yet surprisingly vivid, you will feel the spindrift on your face and taste the salt air on your lips as you journey with Mercy and Mordecai — the last descendants of a once-proud whaling dynasty — on their quest to find Mercy's father, inadvertently learning the secret history of the Rathbone clan and the cause of their eventual downfall. Utterly captivating, Clark's debut novel succeeds where so many others fail, marrying disturbingly beautiful prose with deeply engaging storytelling.
2) A Call to Action by Jimmy Carter
3) Egg and Spoon by Gregory Maguire
4) The Martian by Andy Weir
5) The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
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Renee P.
1) Karate Chop by Dorthe Nors
The first work to be translated into English by Danish author Dorthe Nors is a slim collection of brief, surprising stories exploring everything from a teenager losing her virginity to a retired husband's secret obsession. These are slippery tales — just as you're starting to get a grasp on where they're headed, they shift, they swell. Nors's writing is wonderfully unrestrained yet manages to capture our innermost fears and desires and hang-ups at record speed. A pointed, powerful read.
2) The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison
3) Loitering by Charles D'Ambrosio
4) Can't and Won't by Lydia Davis
5) Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
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Jeremy F.
1) The Encyclopedia of Trouble and Spaciousness by Rebecca Solnit
The Encyclopedia of Trouble and Spaciousness collects essays which were published in various magazines and journals over the past few years. There are a wide variety of topics discussed here, everything from the author's voyage to the Arctic to the cultural history of California in the 1970s. Rebecca Solnit is one of my favorite American writers of nonfiction. Her essays tackle humanity's most pressing problems (climate change, rampant war, and unrest) while always remaining deeply personal. Highly recommended.
2) The Laughing Monsters by Denis Johnson
3) Day Use Area by Sam Lohmann
4) Think! Eat! Act! by Raffaella Tolicetti
5) California by Edan Lepucki
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Connie
1) Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
In a year full of debates on who is and isn't doing feminism "correctly," Roxane Gay's book of essays was a refreshing look at the expectations we hold for both women in the spotlight and ourselves as self-declared feminists. Volleying between humor, literary critique, and honest reflection on her life and career as an educator, Gay makes a case for the bad feminist in each of us fighting the good fight in a problematic world.
2) This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein
3) Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
4) Dataclysm by Christian Rudder
5) Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
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John C.
1) This Town by Mark Leibovich
This Town pulls back the curtain on the politicians and journalists who call Washington D.C. home, as well as the PACs and lobbyists who influence, manipulate, and sometimes outright own them. At turns hilarious, insightful, maddening, and shocking, Leibovich's book proves equal parts exposé, satire, and first-rate journalism. From gossip and scandal to political profiles and revelations, there is every bit as much for the political naif to enjoy in This Town as the political junky.
2) Cool Gray City of Love by Gary Kamiya
3) The Book of Matt by Stephen Jimenez
4) Unlearning Liberty by Greg Lukianoff
5) Beowulf by J. R. R. Tolkien
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Grover
1) Hip Hop Family Tree, Book 2 by Ed Piskor and Charlie Ahearn
Continuing on with his amazing history of hip-hop, Ed Piskor once again dazzles. If you know or think you know everything about hip-hop, this book will entertain you to no end, with a clever narrative and stunning graphics. And if you know very little about hip-hop, this book will definitely educate. An absolute must-have for fans of hip-hop young and old!
2) The Birth of Korean Cool by Euny Hong
3) Herbie Hancock by Herbie Hancock
4) J Dilla's Donuts by Jordan Ferguson
5) Gil Scott-Heron by Marcus Baram
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Benjamin H.
1) The Smartest Kids in the World by Amanda Ripley
Finally! The book on education has been written. Check your assumptions at the door because only hard data earn respect as Ripley cuts through myths and unsupported opinions. Follow the engrossing story of three American students studying in Finland, South Korea, and Poland, all of which outperform America academically. Their perspectives provide perfect launching points for understanding where we've gone wrong — and how we can inject rigor into our own schools. Critical yet hopeful, this was the one I'd been waiting for.
2) New Watch (Night Watch #5) by Sergei Lukyanenko
3) Flash Boys by Michael Lewis
4) The Martian by Andy Weir
5) What If? by Randall Munroe
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Nicolette
1) Yes Please by Amy Poehler
I had been waiting for this book all year! I am a huge Amy Poehler fan and her book did not disappoint. She tells tales of her time on SNL as well as giving some solid life advice. This book was laugh-out-loud funny but also very thoughtful.
2) Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
3) Green Girl by Kate Zambreno
4) Rookie Yearbook Three by Tavi Gevinson
5) How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran
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Elizabeth H.
1) Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Being Mortal will get you thinking about the conversations no one really wants to have. At its core this is a book about understanding the role that personal priorities and choice need to have in determining end-of-life care. However, the emphasis is not only on the importance of these personal goals and priorities, but also on the understanding that these will continue to change. Difficult as these conversations are, they are ones we need to have, with ourselves, our doctors, and our loved ones.
2) Whatever Happened to the Metric System? by John Bemelmans Marciano
3) On Immunity by Eula Biss
4) The Book of Trees by Manuel Lima
5) Lost in Translation by Ella Frances Sanders
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Kelsey
1) The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison
What does it mean to be sentimental? What does it mean to feel pain? Jamison's writing completely changed my perspective on these impossible questions. Her essays are beautiful, heartbreaking, and intelligent. Each one pulls you in to a universe that portrays new meanings of empathy and human understanding. She never fails to be as raw as possible, and I love her for that.
2) Loitering by Charles D'Ambrosio
3) The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez
4) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
5) Man Alive by Thomas Page McBee
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Tom L.
1) The Intern's Handbook by Shane Kuhn
John Lago is preparing to retire at the age of 25. He works for HR, Inc., a company that supplies interns for large firms. John is a professional assassin whose targets are in the upper echelons of the companies to which he's hired out. He's on his last assignment before mandatory retirement, as past age 25 it becomes less believable that one would work as an intern. He's writing a manual for newcomers to HR, Inc… "The Intern's Handbook." Very dark humor (as in so-dark-you-can't-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face dark) and a sizzling fast read. A friend I recommended this to said she read it in 90 minutes.
2) Alex (Commandant Camille Verhoeven Trilogy) by Pierre Lemaitre
3) Thornbrook Park by Sherri Browning
4) Annie Leibovitz by Annie Leibovitz
5) I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes
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